The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Synopsis

The manager of the negative assets sector of Life magazine, Walter Mitty, has been working for sixteen years for the magazine and has a tedious life, not going anywhere but from his home to his job and vice-versa. He is an escapist, daydreaming into a world of fantasy many times a day. Walter has a crush on the recently hired Cheryl Melhoff but he is too shy to invite her on a date and he is trying to contact her via online dating. The magazine is preparing to release its last printed edition and the loathsome manager of transition Ted Hendricks is preparing an inevitable downsizing over the next few days. Walter has been the liaison between the magazine and the mysterious independent photographer Sean O'Connell who has sent to him a package of negatives and a wallet as a gift for his work. Sean also suggests to the senior management the use of negative 25 for the cover of the last edition. However, Walter cannot find the negative that is missing. Walter has no means to contact Sean ...

The manager of the negative assets sector of Life magazine, Walter Mitty, has been working for sixteen years for the magazine and has a tedious life, not going anywhere but from his home to his job and vice-versa. He is an escapist, daydreaming into a world of fantasy many times a day. Walter has a crush on the recently hired Cheryl Melhoff but he is too shy to invite her on a date and he is trying to contact her via online dating. The magazine is preparing to release its last printed edition and the loathsome manager of transition Ted Hendricks is preparing an inevitable downsizing over the next few days. Walter has been the liaison between the magazine and the mysterious independent photographer Sean O'Connell who has sent to him a package of negatives and a wallet as a gift for his work. Sean also suggests to the senior management the use of negative 25 for the cover of the last edition. However, Walter cannot find the negative that is missing. Walter has no means to contact Sean ...

Tech specs

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by Jondotg 10 / 10

A great experience!

I had been looking forward to seeing this movie since I saw the
preview. I was a big fan of the original story, and although I knew the
movie would be very different, I could see that this would end up being
one of my favorite movies. I was not disappointed.

Ben Stiller is perfect as Walter Mitty. His performance was exactly
what I wanted. There was one scene in particular that seemed a little
out of place, but then again you have to remember that Walter Mitty has
a very active imagination. Ben Stiller's performance was so engaging, a
nice break from his usual slapstick roles (which I also love). If you
are hoping to see him doing one of his usual humorous roles, you will
be disappointed. If you want to see him capturing the emotions of a man
that has a hard time expressing himself, you will love this movie.

The visuals in this film were particularly fantastic. From the New York
offices of LIFE all the way to Iceland. Every scene was perfectly
captured and just beautiful.

Finally, the soundtrack. While I was definitely distracted by the
visuals and Ben Stiller's spot-on performance, the soundtrack deserves
a nod as well. Every song fit perfectly with the tone of the film.
There are a few scenes that stand out as particularly wonderful, and
I'm sure you'll know what I mean once you see the movie. This will
definitely be on my shelf once it is released.

Really my only criticism is Adam Scott. While he is great at playing
the jerk boss, his beard is very distracting. It looks fake, as if they
pasted it onto his face. Other than that, I think the movie was pretty
much perfect and can be enjoyed by anyone looking to see a beautiful
movie about a man with a very active imagination.

Enjoy!

Reviewed by filmgal14 10 / 10

To see the world. To find each other and to feel. That is the purpose of life.

I saw an advanced screening of "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" last night. To the right person, this movie is life-changing, life-affirming, and truly beautiful. No, the narrative isn't perfect. The script isn't perfect. There are narrative flaws and stretches of the imagination, but this movie is about stretching the imagination.

The concept - of an underachieving dreamer finally discovering the world - is something most of us can relate to. Accompanied by a truly beautiful soundtrack, Oscar-worthy camera work, and the surprisingly able acting of Ben Stiller, as well as an accompanying cast which includes Adam Scott, Kirsten Wiig and Sean Penn, among others, this is heart-warming and truly special.